Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-10-06
THE GAS TRUSTEES.
HOW THBNBw BOARD WILL PROBABLY BE
CONSTRUCTION THBREPUBLICANSID
With Some Incidental advertisement Ansnt the Cur
rent Gossip One Picks Up on the StssS-Sons
Of the Candidates for the Offices to be Filled.

The terms of Office Of Messrs. Oscar
Seeley, F. P. JepsOn and Thos. E. Lewis,
the present Trustees of the city gas works,
will expire on Saturday, the 9Th inst, but
the gentlemen named will continue at
their stations, under the provisions OF the
ordinance creating the Board, until after
the first regular meeting Of COuncilin DC
tOber, which this year will be held on
Tuesday next, the 18th inst. Should the
Council, from any cause, fail to elect a new
Board at that time, the present Board will
continue in office until such new Board has
been elected. Close as is this important
Councilmanic election upon us, there ha
been very little stir made over the event,
although one has but to scratch beneath
the surface to unearth a lively lot OF ru-
mors connected very intimately with the
coming event.
In the first place, it is we'll enough to
state that the Republicans, being by a
vagary of the Goddess Chance, in a major
ity in Council, and having the memory OF
the strictly partisan results of the cele-
brated ''cOck-loft caucus still before
them, when the spills of victory" were
distributed as far as they would 60, will
make a grand rush for the majority OF the
Board, even if the positions are more orna-
mental than lucrative. As n of the
truly faithful put it, sit would never
do to do anything else than have a new
deal in the Board. The Office of Trustee
is a nuisance, and a pretty responsible
nuisance, too, but the thing is a
part of the proceeds of the bat
tie we won, and the distribution will
have TO be made" This gentleman didn't
add that there had been some heartburn
ings over these same proceeds, " but there
has, all the same. Only two OF the three
Trustees can, under the ordinance, come
from the Republican ranks, and the ques-
ton at once came up, who should be
chosen, and who should be left.
1t was unanimously agreed among
the little coterie who under
took to put the thing through, that Mr..
Thomas f. Lewis, the present Republican
member on the Board, should be allowed
to remain. 1t was argued that Nh. Lewis
had been on the Board for n number OF
wears, that he was familiar with the run
ming of the works, etc, and his name was
accordingly put down oil the Slat Then
il was urged that DR.. T. III. Logan should
be put on as the second Republican trus-
tee. After a due amount of consideration,
this was agreed to, and rumor has it that
the Doctor was approached, but to the
surprise Of those who mentioned the mat
ter he distinctly declined to accept of the
office rendered him. The came the d.
lemma. Half a dozen folks wanted the
under sized plum, and for a time it looked
Is il the caucus would have to be recon-
yened to settle the thing. Finally, as the
story goes, a compromise was made upon
Mr.. d. c. List, Jr., q member of the last
Council, and the agony was over.
But the rumors concerning the plans Of
Republicans do not stop here. 1t is as
serted by those who are entitled to the
credit of knowing what they ars talking
about, that the majority party, not con-
tent with selecting the majority of the
Board, are going out Of their way to defy
the spirit OF the ordinance by selecting the
Democrat who is to grace the Board with
his presence, and put his name through the
Joint session of Council in spite of what
ever protests Democrats who perceived this
infringement of their rights, might be in
clned To make. This is an indignity which
the ~gOOdy-goOdys are quite capable of carry
ing through, but is one which Democrats
should not permit TO pass without a most
vigorous protest.
For the various positions under the
Board there is a singular dearth of candi-
dates, although they are all pretty snug
berths. No one seems to be very anxious
after the Se~cretaryship OF the works, al
though it carries with it 81, 400 a year.
For Assistant Secretary a ASSOC, two anne
have reached the REGISTER, they being
Will Fisher and Ed. Carlin. Capt. Dillon,
the superintendent Of the works, has
developed no opposition whatever, and
will probably return to his old berth "a
sailin'." Various of the Republican rank
and file are looking forward to the minor
Jobs under the Board, but their expecta-
tons in this regard have awakened nj very
great excitement.